Luke_S

Nightlight Theater hopes to Kickstart new screen Dan Shingler October 18th 2023 "Akron’s getting closer to having a new movie screen downtown as the Nightlight Cinema is adding a Kickstarter campaign to its ongoing fundraising efforts. The boutique theater specializes in showing artsy, historical and culturally significant movies often not found on other local screens or not seen on them in years (even decades). ... If [Jenn] Kidd [Executive Director] is successful, the Nightlight will not only get a new screen but expanded amenities such as more bar space, concessions, seating and new restrooms." https://www.crainscleveland.com/akron/nightlight-theater-hopes-kickstart-new-screen

Is Maiden Lane a pedestrian only street? If not it really seems like it should be as part of this project. Troppe is bringing along Kevin Dorsey—former Akronite and well-known musician and composer—and Daniel Morgan—founder of Morgan-Baily Premium Coffee & Tea Co. And CEO of Rich Music Records—as partners in the next phase of his venture. It sounds like this could result in some spinoff economic development with Morgan saying, "he’ll start a coffee company here called Blaguci Coffee. It will serve coffee, but he said its primary goal is to become a large roaster selling to retailers nationally." Developer Tony Troppe plans to inject more life into downtown Akron Dan Shingler October 19th 2023 "Developer Tony Troppe is not done building out Akron’s arts and entertainment district along Market Street east of Main Street, or what Troppe likes to call, “the Blu Zone,” after his Blu Jazz+ club and BLU-tique hotel there. Troppe recently has been showing city officials and others his early plans to bring 25 residences, a jazz and R&B music venue, restaurant and outdoor seating and gathering places to the downtown district. It all would be in and around the three-story Castle Hall building that Troppe owns and in a new six-story building he plans to build next door." https://www.crainscleveland.com/real-estate/tony-troppe-plans-mixed-use-development-downtown-akron

Gorge Dam Public Meeting: - When: Wednesday, October 25, 2023 @ 6:00pm - 7:30pm - Where: Akron-Summit County Public Library -60 S. High St., Akron - With: U.S. EPA, Ohio EPA, City of Akron, and other stakeholders Members of the public are invited to attend a community update on the process to remove a 420-foot-wide, 60-foot-tall dam within Gorge Metro Park. The dam is one of the largest unresolved impediments to restoring the water quality of the Cuyahoga River and its removal will improve river ecology, create recreational opportunities and drive economic benefits within the local community. On Wednesday, October 25 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Akron-Summit County Public Library Main Branch (60 S. High St., Akron), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), Ohio EPA, City of Akron and other stakeholders will present a project status update. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Parking is available at the garage at 40 S. High St. or the surface lot at 71 S. High St. Additional parking information can be found online: downtownakron.com/getting-around/parking The meeting will also be live-streamed and available for later viewing at youtube.com/summitmetroparks Now in its seventh year, the dam removal project is managed by a group of partners that includes the City of Akron, City of Cuyahoga Falls, FirstEnergy, County of Summit, Summit County Council, Summit Metro Parks, The University of Akron, Ohio EPA, Ohio Lake Erie Commission and U.S. EPA. Learn more about the effort to remove the Gorge Dam and sign up for email updates at bitl.ly/freethefalls. https://www.facebook.com/events/akron-summit-county-public-library/gorge-dam-public-meeting/985698416059302/

Cleveland welcomed nearly 18 million visitors in 2022, almost back to pre-pandemic levels Published: Oct. 17, 202 By Susan Glaser, cleveland.com "CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland region welcomed nearly 18 million visitors in 2022, up 12% from a year earlier, but still down from the record number of travelers in 2019. Destination Cleveland announced Tuesday that the region’s tourism industry continues to rebound from the huge drop-off in visitors during the COVID pandemic. Cuyahoga County welcomed 17.9 million visitors in 2022 – a combination of leisure, business and group travelers -- who spent a record $6.4 billion while they were in town. ... David Gilbert, president and CEO of Destination Cleveland, said the region is on pace to exceed 2019 levels in the next year or two, with continued strong hotel occupancy figures, conference bookings and some major events planned for the city in 2024, including the NCAA Women’s Final Four tournament in April and the Pan-American Masters Games in July." https://www.cleveland.com/travel/2023/10/cleveland-welcomed-nearly-18-million-visitors-in-2022-almost-back-to-pre-pandemic-levels.html

OhioMeansJobs leaders advocate for transition to nonprofit organization Kim Palmer October 17th 2023 "As the country experiences high job vacancy rates and business clamor for skilled workers, leaders of a joint city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County workforce development organization want to transition to a non-profit that they say will help bring more cohesion, efficiency and, ultimately, funding to the region. Every year, about $20 million in federal workforce training dollars—dedicated to helping un- and under-employed workers find jobs and businesses find skilled workers—flows to OhioMeansJobs, an organization run by both Cleveland and County Cuyahoga employees. The unique and somewhat confusing structure is required as part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which distributes several billion dollars annually to states which then send the allotment of cash to specific workforce boards for training and services." https://www.crainscleveland.com/politics-policy/ohiomeansjobs-leaders-seek-become-nonprofit-organization Cleveland.com bad a writeup too if you don't have a Crain's subscription: https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2023/10/cleveland-and-cuyahoga-countys-public-workforce-development-agency-transitioning-to-nonprofit.html

It seems they've considered that concern and believe this will lead to an overall reduction in hours with fewer officers picking up overtime and working 12+ hour shifts (article mentions officers working 16 hour shifts multiple times a week). It sounds like they are planning for a 3 on, 3 off schedule and suggest that this would also give officers scheduled days off that they can actually plan on and around so they can hopefully have a little more balance. Lastly, it sound like they hope they can draw back the standard length of shifts in the future. Hopefully this stabilizes the existing staffing of CPD so the city can focus on recruitment and be more proactive than reactive.

The Cleveland Police Union and the Mayor have come to an agreement to move to 12-hour shifts and raise wages of veteran officers -- those with a minimum of 5 years of experience and are supervisors -- will receive a ~14% raise. Lower ranking officers will see a 2.5% raise. This is on top of the 11% 3-year raise negotiated last year. "In other words, since 2022, rank-and-file officer salaries will have moved from the range of $55,000-$68,000 to $63,000-$84,000. Current top salaries rank in the middle of the pack statewide, but with the new increases, top Cleveland wages will be higher than those at three-quarters of Ohio’s police departments, Abonamah said. Though wages remain higher in Columbus, Cincinnati and some Northeast Ohio suburbs, the new top figures put Cleveland ahead of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority police, Akron police and others, he said. ... To pay for the higher wages, Abonamah said the city will draw from money currently allocated for overtime, which Deputy Chief Daniel Fay on Wednesday said had reached $20 million this year. Bibb will also seek further reductions in the budgeted – not actual – size of the police force, so money isn’t tied up unnecessarily in unfilled positions, and can instead go into the pockets of existing officers, Abonamah said." https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2023/10/cleveland-police-unions-agree-to-12-hour-shifts-major-pay-raise-for-veteran-officers.html

Akron begins construction on ARPA-funded $7.8M Patterson Park Community Center Published: Oct. 12, 2023, 2:05 p.m. By Megan Becka, special to cleveland.com "AKRON, Ohio – The city of Akron on Thursday held a groundbreaking event for the new Patterson Park Community Center, located at 800 Patterson Ave. The $7.8 million project is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and calls for replacing the existing 8,300-square-foot building with a new 12,400-square-foot building. The single-story building will offer more recreational opportunities for community members. Plans for the space call for courts for volleyball, pickleball and basketball, along with meeting rooms, a multipurpose room, a game room, an art/gardening room and a new outdoor playground. Community groups such as Project Learn of Summit County and others will be able to use meeting rooms in the center to fit their needs. The new community center will also include an Americans With Disabilities Act-accessible entry off Patterson Avenue, according to the city." https://www.cleveland.com/akron/2023/10/akron-begins-construction-on-arpa-funded-78m-patterson-park-community-center.html

Another cost of sprawl More hurdles for beginning farmers as farmland prices rise across Ohio WYSO | By Alejandro Figueroa Published October 6, 2023 https://www.ideastream.org/2023-10-06/more-hurdles-for-beginning-farmers-as-farmland-prices-rise-across-ohio

Renowned consultant sees a bright future for Akron's Innerbelt that honors its past DAN SHINGLER October 03, 2023 https://www.crainscleveland.com/real-estate/liz-ogbu-develops-new-vision-akrons-innerbelt

The screw pump to divert water from the Cuyahoga River to the Pinery Feeder section of the Ohio & Erie Canal passed inspection today. That's the good news. The bad news is before water can be consistently fed into this section of a canal a leaking sink hole near the Canal Exploration Center needs to be repaired first. The City of Valley View is working on this project. Details in a post to Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CxyombNPw_3/?igshid=M2MyMzgzODVlNw==

You're switching your arguments now. The argument I was responding to was arguing that voter purges were necessary for election security/integrity concerns which do not exist.

Yeah... but it's not a strawman argument because there are states with automatic voter registration where we do not see higher rates of voter fraud. So not at all clear that these voter purges should be considered a "best practice".

Do you have evidence of widespread and pervasive voter fraud affecting the outcome of an election?

This is an extraordinarily privileged perspective. Registering to vote is not easy for everyone. Access to the internet is not equitable. Not everyone has the time or can take off work to go to their local BOE to register. Even if they do have the time they may not have a car or access to other convenient transportation to get there. Not everyone has a drivers license or an equivalent ID, and a lot of the barriers to getting these IDs are the same barriers they are facing to register to vote.

Akron Civic Commons project targets several public spaces for reimagining and investment By Drew Maziasz Published September 25, 2023 https://www.ideastream.org/show/sound-of-ideas/2023-09-25/akron-civic-commons-project-targets-several-public-spaces-for-reimagining-and-investment

Ohio City Farm is planning to build out a "global farmers market". This space will likely only get better once Irishtown Bend Park is completed and sounds like it will be a nice addition to the neighborhood. Hopefully it's synergistic with the Westside Market. Also, some interesting data points/stats on immigration at the end of the article. Ohio City Farm plans to expand with a ‘global farmers market’ building BY SOPHIA LUCENTE SEPTEMBER 26, 2023 "The entrance of the 14,000-square-foot building will be accessible to the public from Bridge Ave. and W. 24th St. It will have glass windows visitors can look through to see inside, where there will be an area for the market, which will sell produce grown onsite, plus space for select outside vendors to sell their products. ... “This is going to allow us to go four seasons, which is going to allow our team to have full employment throughout the year,” Kearns said of the new building. “It’s also going to give them a heated workspace, a locker room, indoor plumbing for the first time in 13 years, retail and vending for the public, and a commercial kitchen.” “Our goal is all together to have 12 vendors, 5 restaurant partners, 5 food partners, as well as five different jobs created to support the environment itself,” Kearns continued. The vendors and restaurants have not been decided yet, and the food partners will be new entrepreneurs in the Cleveland area that will have access to the commercial kitchen." https://thelandcle.org/stories/ohio-city-farm-plans-to-expand-with-a-global-farmers-market-building/

Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition to hold ribbon cutting for Summit Lake Trail in Akron By Megan Becka, special to cleveland.com Sep. 25, 2023 "The 2.75-mile multi-purpose trail connects eastern and western Summit Lake communities and serves as a connector to the 101-mile Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. The Summit Lake Trail is the first Akron Civic Commons 2.0 project to be completed at Summit Lake, according to the organization. ... The Ohio & Erie Canal Summit Lake Trail is part of the Summit Lake Vision Plan, a resident-led Akron Civic Commons 2.0 project that aims to create an accessible, equitable and welcoming park for residents and visitors. The Summit Lake Vision Plan received more than $10 million in funding from the city, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, County of Summit, Ohio & Erie Canalway, State of Ohio, Akron Community Foundation and individual donors, according to the release. Akron Civic Commons 2.0 is overseen by the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, in partnership with the city of Akron, which serves as the fiscal agent and project manager for the Summit Lake Vision Plan and Lock 3 Park renovations." https://www.cleveland.com/akron/2023/09/ohio-erie-canalway-coalition-to-hold-ribbon-cutting-for-summit-lake-trail-in-akron.html

The Tow Path train in CVNP finds itself number six in Outdoor Magazine's 10 Most Historical Trails in the U.S. That You Can Hike. Ohio trail makes 10 Most Historical Trails to Hike in U.S. list By Zach Mentz, cleveland.com Sep. 25, 2023 "Towpath Trail at Cuyahoga Valley National Park is one of the 10 Most Historical Trails in the U.S. That You Can Hike, according to Outside magazine. Towpath Trail ranked sixth on the list, which includes hiking trails from Hawaii to Alaska to Montana to the U.S. Virgin Islands. “This 98-mile path transports you to the 19th century, when the Ohio & Erie Canal opened up trade between the East Coast and Midwest, bringing prosperity to northeast Ohio (my home for 29 years), as well as the nation, through accessibility to domestic goods,” Outside.com’s Theresa McKinney writes in the rankings. “Starting at the Lock 38 Trailhead (a lock is a chamber that raises and lowers water levels for boats to pass), my husband and I walked the flat dirt path north along the marshy canal for 1.8 miles to reach the overgrown stone-wall remains of Lock 39. The Native American Heritage Walking Tour interpretive signs along the way described the Indigenous groups who once lived here—from the Paleoindians (13,000 to 10,000 years ago) to the Whittlesy People (1,000 to 400 years ago)—hunting big game, fishing, and growing maize and beans in Cuyahoga Valley. You can peruse exhibits at the wheelchair-friendly Canal Exploration Center, which once served as a tavern, store, and residence, and on summer weekends, the center holds lock demonstrations,” she adds." https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/09/ohio-trail-makes-10-most-historical-trails-to-hike-in-us-list.html

I guess this is the best place for this; Canton to land spring football team following USFL-XFL merger: report Joe Scalzo | September 21st 2023 "It looks like spring football is returning to Canton. Canton has secured a team in the merged USFL-XFL league, which will begin play with the 2024 season, according to a report from USFL Newsroom. ... Canton’s Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium was the home site for two USFL teams last season — the Pittsburgh Maulers and the New Jersey Gamblers — and has hosted the league championship game each of the past two seasons. It’s unclear whether the new league would add a Canton-centric team, or if Canton would continue serving as a hub for another league team." https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/canton-reportedly-lands-team-following-usfl-xfl-merger

Are these costs reflecting private lots/garages, public parking spaces, or both? I thought our public parking costs was below peer cities.

Making it: Big ideas with tiny electronics Ideastream Public Media | By Natalia Garcia Published September 20, 2023 Maker: Ken Burns, President & Founder Business: TinyCircuits Location: Akron Twelve years ago engineer Ken Burns took his idea of creating a compact version of an already existing system to the workshop. The result, originally called TinyDuino, is “a small, little modular electronics system. Almost like Legos, where you kinda stack things together,” said Burns. This was the start of his product line and compay, TinyCircuits. https://youtu.be/8SWrDIPY4rA?si=eEhjvyaiaYXqwTwL https://www.ideastream.org/community/2023-09-20/making-it-big-ideas-tiny-electronics

Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study looking for ways to make Akron bike friendly Ideastream Public Media | By Grace Springer Published September 18, 2023 "The Bike-N-Brainstorm event will return to Akron’s Middlebury neighborhood on Sept. 23. The event will include a four-mile bike ride, free food and an opportunity to give community feedback to the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study. The event will help the group plan for future projects including the Rubber City Heritage Trail project and improvements on East Market Street, said Planning Administrator Matt Stewart. ... The event is free to the public. Participants should arrive at 647 East Market Street in Akron at 10:30 a.m. to register to ride. The four-mile ride will begin at 11 a.m. with two short stops along the way. The ride will conclude at noon." https://www.ideastream.org/community/2023-09-18/akron-metropolitan-area-transportation-study-looking-for-ways-to-make-akron-bike-friendly

Jake Paul isn't a serious person and this story wouldn't matter at all except that only nine months ago JW Johnson was with Paul having him sign a contract to join the team's social-media team. Jake Paul, lifelong Browns supporter, says he's 'transitioning' fandom to division rival: ’26 years of terror’ By Ryan Morik Published September 10, 2023 https://www.foxnews.com/sports/jake-paul-lifelong-browns-supporter-transitioning-fandom-division-rival-26-years-terror Also, Factory of Sadness has a story appropriately ridiculing Paul for the timing of his conversion. https://factoryofsadness.co/posts/cleveland-browns-made-jake-paul-look-like-an-idiot-on-sunday-01ha104q4hkb

I get why they wouldn't place the sportsbook in the stadium given the current development on the lakefront, but this seems like a signal that the Haslams are either not committed to the current development plan, the current stadium location, or both. Browns, Bobby George partner on sportsbook at East 4th Street Harry Buffalo JOE SCALZO September 10, 2023 https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/cleveland-browns-plan-sportsbook-downtown-harry-buffalo